June 23th, 2022
The military committed 17 sexual violence cases in regions and states after the coup, Duwa Lashi La, the Acting President of the National Unity Government (NUG) said in an opening speech of the End Sexual Violence Day talk to observe the International Day for Elimination of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict which falls on June 19th.
“According to the records, 17 cases were reported in Mandalay Region, Chin State, Sagaing Region and Magway Region during seven months from October, 2021 to April, 2022. There are a lot of unreported cases,” the Acting President says.
“A total of 49 women, two men, one LGBT and more than 20 youths faced the military council’s tortures, rapes, gang-rapes and killings,” he continued.
“Among many cases, for instance, a woman who delivered a baby was raped in Tedim of Chin State. A woman was raped in front of her husband at the gun point. The soldiers committed a gang-rape against 30 women in Kin and Ouknae villages in Minkin Township in Sagaing Region. One underage child was raped and killed. These are the characters of the military council,” the Acting President says.
“It is found that the military has been using sexual violence against women as a tool during the offensive operations in ethnic areas. This is the military’s issuance of license to rape to the soldiers in the successive era. Women have suffered the brutality of the military council like others during the armed conflicts. They have to suffer sexual harassments. The military is carrying out targeted sexual violence against not only the women but also underage children, U Aung Myo Min, the NUG’s Human Rights Minister says.
Till date, those who committed the crimes get impunity. The NUG is working to end the impunity, the Acting President says.
“We need a lot of help from our friends to bring the culprits to the international judicial system in order to actually end the impunity for the violence against the women committed by the military council, ” Ei Thinzar Maung, Deputy Minister for Women, Youth and Children Affairs of the NUG says.
In the wake of the military coup, there are intense fighting between the military council and the Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs) in almost all regions and states. Fighting is also taking place between the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) formed by the NUG and the military council.
In addition to the sexual violence against women in the armed conflicts, the military is committing the arrests of locals to be used as human shields, tortures and killings, according to those working for human rights and women affairs.
Sent by the NMG